Madinah: the city of Nabi ﷺ

Madinah is the city that gave Nabi ﷺ a home after the Hijrah (his move from Makkah). He lived there for ten years, built his masjid there, and he is buried there. For Muslims it is the second holiest city after Makkah.

• Nabi ﷺ made dua for it: O Allah, make us love Madinah as we love Makkah, or even more¹.
• He also asked Allah to give Madinah twice the blessings He gave Makkah².
• Angels guard its roads. Neither plague nor the Dajjal (the great false messiah at the end of time) will enter it³.
• At the end of time, faith will return to Madinah the way a snake returns to its hole⁴.

Nabi ﷺ said: one prayer in my masjid is better than a thousand prayers in any other masjid, except Masjid al-Haram⁵.

Is the visit part of Hajj?

No. Visiting Madinah is not part of Hajj or Umrah. It is not required, and your Hajj or Umrah is complete without it. Scholars agree on this.

• It is still a great blessing, and most pilgrims go to Madinah before or after Makkah. Group packages usually include it.
• You may visit Madinah any time of year, with or without Umrah.
• You do not wear ihram (the special state and clothes of the pilgrim) to enter Madinah.
• Going from Madinah to Makkah for Umrah? The miqat (the place you enter ihram) for people coming from Madinah is Dhul Hulayfah⁶, just outside the city. Today it is often called Abyar Ali. Your group will stop there.

The right intention: the masjid

Nabi ﷺ said: do not set out on a journey except to three masjids: Masjid al-Haram, the masjid of Nabi ﷺ, and Masjid al-Aqsa⁷.

• So when you travel to Madinah, intend to pray in the masjid of Nabi ﷺ. This is the intention all scholars agree is good.
• Once you are there, greeting Nabi ﷺ at his grave is a loved and good act, and it is right next to the masjid.
• Scholars differ about making the journey only for the grave. You do not need to worry about this. Intend the masjid, and you have done what everyone agrees on.

Manners in the masjid of Nabi ﷺ

The masjid of Nabi ﷺ is called Masjid an-Nabawi. It is very large today, and it is open day and night. These manners help you and the people around you.

• Come with wudu and clean, modest clothes. Carry your shoes in a bag, or note the number of the shelf by the gate. There are thousands of shelves.
• Enter with the right foot and say: Allahummaftah li abwaba rahmatik, O Allah, open for me the doors of Your mercy⁸.
• Before you sit, pray two rakat (units of prayer) to greet the masjid⁹.
• Keep your voice low. Umar once told off two men from Taif for raising their voices in this masjid¹⁰. Allah says: do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet¹¹. Scholars say this respect stays after his death.
• Do not push or step over people. Patience in the crowd is part of your worship.
• Phones: keep them silent. A quick photo is not forbidden, but do not let filming take over your visit, and do not film people without asking.
• Men and women have separate gates and sections. Agree on a meeting point before you go in. Signs show the gate numbers.
• Spend your time well: pray, read Quran, make dhikr (remembering Allah) and send salawat (blessings) on Nabi ﷺ.

The Rawdah

Nabi ﷺ said: between my house and my minbar is a garden from the gardens of Paradise¹². This small area is called the Rawdah (the garden). His house was the room of Aishah, where he is now buried. The minbar is the pulpit he gave sermons from.

• Today the Rawdah is marked with a green carpet. The rest of the masjid has red carpet.
• Praying there is a virtue, not a requirement. Your visit is complete without it.
• Because so many want to go, entry now needs a set time slot. You book it in the official Saudi pilgrim app before your visit. The rules change, so ask your group leader.
• Men and women have different times. Women enter from their own side, at their own times.
• When you get in, pray two rakat calmly and make dua. The guards keep people moving, so do not plan a long stay.
• Do not push or fight for a place. Hurting someone to pray in the Rawdah is a loss, not a gain.

Greeting Nabi ﷺ, Abu Bakr and Umar

Nabi ﷺ is buried in the room of Aishah, beside the masjid. Next to him are his two closest friends: Abu Bakr and then Umar. Nabi ﷺ said: whenever anyone greets me, Allah returns my soul to me so that I return the greeting¹³.

How to do it

• Men walk along the front of the masjid toward the graves. A line moves past three openings in the wall. Women have their own times and route. Ask at the women's gates.
• Stand calmly at the first opening. Say with a low voice: As-salamu alayka ya Rasulallah, peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah. Then send salawat on him, like the one you say in salah.
• Move a step on and say: As-salamu alayka ya Aba Bakr.
• Move a step on and say: As-salamu alayka ya Umar. You may make a short dua for them both: may Allah be pleased with you.
• That is all. It takes a minute. Keep walking with the line.

Umar so loved to be near his two companions that, as he was dying, he asked Aishah for this place¹⁴.

Dua: face the qibla, ask Allah

• After the greeting, if you want to make dua, move on and face the qibla, as most scholars teach. Then ask Allah for whatever you need.
• Allah says: call on Me, I will answer you¹⁹. Dua is made to Allah alone.
• Nabi ﷺ did not want his grave to become a place of prayer. He warned against taking the graves of prophets as places of prayer, and Aishah said this is why his grave was not left open²⁰. He also said: do not pray facing graves²¹.

Things scholars warn against

Many visitors come with deep love, which is good. Love is shown by following his Sunnah. So scholars gently advise against:

• Shouting, crying out loud or crowding at the grave.
• Touching, kissing or rubbing the walls, grills or doors for blessing.
• Bowing or making sujud (prostration) toward the grave.
• Asking Nabi ﷺ for your needs, like healing or children. Ask Allah. You can ask Allah by your love for His Messenger.

Nabi ﷺ said: do not make my grave a place of festival. Send blessings on me, for your blessings reach me wherever you are²². So you do not need to be at the grave to greet him. Allah says: Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet. O you who believe, send blessings on him²³.

Masjid Quba

Quba is a few kilometers south of Masjid an-Nabawi. Its masjid was the first one built by Nabi ﷺ when he arrived on the Hijrah.

• Nabi ﷺ used to go to Quba every Saturday, sometimes walking and sometimes riding²⁴. He would pray two rakat there²⁵.
• He said: whoever purifies himself at home, then comes to Masjid Quba and prays in it, has a reward like an Umrah²⁶.
• So make wudu at your hotel, then go and pray two rakat. Any day is fine. Saturday follows his practice.
• Taxis and buses go there often. There is also a long walking path from the masjid of Nabi ﷺ to Quba.

Baqi and Uhud: visiting the graves

Nabi ﷺ said: I used to forbid you to visit graves, but now visit them²⁷. Visiting graves reminds us of death and lets us pray for the dead.

What to say at any graveyard

Nabi ﷺ taught his companions to say: peace be upon you, people of this place, believers and Muslims. If Allah wills, we will join you. I ask Allah for safety for us and for you²⁸.

Baqi

• Al-Baqi is the graveyard right beside Masjid an-Nabawi. Many companions and family members of Nabi ﷺ are buried there.
• Nabi ﷺ would go out to Baqi at the end of the night, greet its people, and ask Allah to forgive them²⁹.
• It is usually open for short times after Fajr and after Asr. Check the times locally.

Uhud

• When Nabi ﷺ saw Mount Uhud he said: this is a mountain that loves us, and we love it³⁰.
• The battle of Uhud was fought at its foot. The martyrs were buried there in their clothes, two to a grave³¹. Hamzah, the uncle of Nabi ﷺ, was killed in this battle³² and is buried there with them.
• Years later, Nabi ﷺ went and prayed for the martyrs of Uhud, like one saying goodbye³³.
• Stand by the graves, give the greeting, and make dua for them. You may also see the small hill where the archers stood³⁴.

Women and visiting graves

• Scholars differ. Many allow women to visit graves now and then, with calm and without wailing. Others say it is disliked.
• Local rules may also limit women's entry to Baqi. A woman can give the greeting from outside, or from anywhere. Her dua reaches them.

Other places in Madinah

• Many groups take a tour of other sites, like Masjid al-Qiblatayn, where the qibla was changed from Jerusalem to Makkah, and the place of the Battle of the Trench.
• Visiting these places to learn the history is fine and can be moving.
• But the special rewards are for the masjid of Nabi ﷺ and Masjid Quba. Do not treat other sites as places of special worship, unless a sound hadith says so.

The dates of Madinah

Madinah is famous for its dates. The best known is Ajwa, a soft, dark date.

• Nabi ﷺ said: whoever eats seven Ajwa dates in the morning will not be harmed by poison or magic that day³⁵.
• Another report speaks of seven dates from the land of Madinah³⁶. So many scholars say this is for Madinah dates, and Ajwa above all.
• It is a sunnah to eat them with trust in Allah. It is not a replacement for medicine.
• Dates are a lovely gift to bring home for family and friends.

Respecting the city

Nabi ﷺ said: Ibrahim made Makkah sacred, and I have made Madinah sacred, the area between its two mountains³⁷.

• Inside its sacred area, trees are not to be cut and game is not to be hunted³⁸.
• He gave a strong warning to anyone who brings a new wrong into the religion there, or does evil there³⁹.
• Scholars differ on some details, like penalties, but the message is clear: behave your best in the city of Nabi ﷺ.
• Be kind to the people of Madinah, to workers and cleaners, and to other pilgrims. Do not litter. Do not argue over seats, taxis or queues.

Common questions

I only have one day in Madinah. What should I do?

Pray as many of the five prayers as you can in the masjid of Nabi ﷺ. Give the greeting to Nabi ﷺ, Abu Bakr and Umar. Make wudu at your hotel and pray two rakat in Masjid Quba. If time allows, greet the people of Baqi. Book a Rawdah slot early, but if you cannot get one, your visit is still complete.

I am a woman. When can I go to the Rawdah?

Women have their own set times and their own entrance, and the times change. Book your slot in the official app and ask your group leader or the staff at the women's gates.

My parents are elderly. How do I manage the crowds?

Go at quieter times, such as late morning or late at night. Wheelchairs are available at the masjid, and some gates are easier for them. There may be a special Rawdah time for the elderly and disabled, so ask. Remember, the greeting reaches Nabi ﷺ from anywhere⁴⁰. Your parents do not need to fight a crowd.

Do I have to pray forty prayers in the masjid?

No. The report about forty prayers is weak according to many hadith scholars. Pray there as much as you can, with no set number.

I have my period while in Madinah. What can I do?

Most scholars say a woman on her period does not stay inside the masjid. You can still make dhikr and dua, send salawat on Nabi ﷺ from anywhere, and enjoy the city. See Periods and bleeding after birth.

Someone asked me to give their salam to Nabi ﷺ. Should I?

Many scholars say there is no harm. You can say: so-and-so sends you salam. But tell them they can also send blessings on him themselves, and it reaches him⁴¹.

We are traveling with small children. Any tips?

Keep a card with your hotel name and your phone number in each child's pocket. Agree on one gate number as the meeting point. Children can come to the masjid, but pick quieter times and sit near an exit.